A prayer to replace despair with hope
By Lynette Kittle
Bible Reading:
“We are pushed against every aspect, we are not crushed. We are not confused, we are not despaired. We have been persecuted, but we are not abandoned.
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We’ll be smashing the age like fish
One such situation in the Bible is Jonah. There, despair captured him when he should have been pleased. His story is dramatic, to say the least.
Jonah refuses God’s calling to warn the evil Nineveh to destroy the evil Nineveh, and after fleeing, he is thrown overboard from the ship and swallowed by a giant fish. “From among the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord God to the Lord. He said, “In my agony, I called the Lord, and he answered me. God heard Jonah’s prayer, and miraculously spewed the fish out of his belly (Jonah 2:10).
Fall into despair
After Jonah’s belly time, God asked him to warn him again of the destruction that will come to the evil Nineveh, and he went. However, when the evil king and people repented and spared God, Jonah fell into deep despair, as he hated them and wanted to see their destruction.
As in Jonah 4:1-3 Chronicle, “But Jonah was very unhappy and angry. He prayed to the Lord, “Lord, isn’t this what I said while I was still in my land? For I would be better off death than I would live.”
However, Jonah’s despair did not stop there. It spread, as Jonah 4:8 explains. “When the sun rose, God provided a burnt east wind, and as the sun burned up on Jonah’s head, he grew faintly. “But God said to Jonah, ‘Are you righteous about the plants?” “Yes,” he said.
I hope to win despair
But when you face trial, it doesn’t have to be. There is another way, so despair does not need to take over our emotions: hope.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had reason to feel despair when faced with a fiery furnace, but rather than overtaking despair, they placed hope in God. “Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego answered him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to protect ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into a burning furnace, the God we serve can deliver us from there. Up'” (Daniel 3:16-18).
God has hope, and while despair may seem like the darkest time when we try to capture us, Jesus wants us to know that “the light is shining in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).
Let’s pray:
Dear Father, free us from fear. When faced with disappointment, loss, and sadness, it helps us to bring despair closer and resist overtaking us. Whenever we feel shaking, our future appears uncertain, rather than hearing the lies of despair. Open your ears to hear our voices guide us. Isaiah 28:23, “Listen to my voice and hear me; pay attention, and listen to what I say.” Instead of looking at the situation, I will strengthen our hearts to trust you. Guide us to our hopes and future to look to your words and promises. In the name of Jesus, Amen
Photo credit: ©istock/getty images plus/2jenn
Lynette Kittle is married to four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships and life. Her writings have been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, Kirkcameron.com, ungrind.org, startmarriageright.com and more. She holds a Masters degree in Communications from Regent University and is an associate producer at Soul Check TV.
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